Dogs of Importance…

10 – 11

Sharnberry Quin

To some people he was a bit of a disappointment, when they expected a new Sharnberry Shooter. To those who had hunted over him, he was all they ever wanted. Without doubt he was a very different dog to Shooter. While Shooter was the fast, hard running and flashy performer – the “trial dog pure and simple”, as Leon called him, Quin was a smaller dog with a quirky personality – but most importantly: deadly on pheasants!! Leon imported Quin, but he was mostly handled by Graham Little (who had his greatest dog in Shooter-son Grand FTCh Wingfield Fabian). Quin was line bred on the 1973 Champion Stake winner Little Do-Di of Sharnberry and was from the last litter bred by Captain Parlour before he died. Ian Hendren (Game Ridge) was so impressed after having hunted over Quin, that he asked Leon to get hold of something similar to him. He ended up purchasing Kiki Gem, bred by one of Parlour’s handlers (including handling of Do-Di), Mrs Bettie Town. Kiki Gem was virtually a Sharnberry dog, just without the prefix, and of very similar breeding to Quin. Ian Hendren bred his successful B, E and F-litters by using Quin on Kiki Gem.

Leon also used Quin three times in his breeding. First in 1982 on Shooter-daughter Wingfield Jemima, producing among other Wingfield Lace and Lady. Later in 1985 and 1986 on FTCh Wingfield Kandy (Tad of Colchicus – Wingfield Honey) and FTCh Wingfield Intrigue (Wingfield Gunman – Wingfield Annie), producing dogs like Wingfield Pride and Wingfield Quill.

Xtra later came to Ian & Jennie Hendren, Game Ridge Kennels, and Ian handled her to win a championship trial, and later also placing third in the Joy & Leon Mortensen Memorial Trial – which was won by Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae. It was as if they both paid their final respect to their former trainer and handler.

Quin seemed to throw smaller sized dogs in the bitches after him, not so much in the males. More importantly, he did in fact breed on his ability to find and work birds. He was perhaps the most important of all the imports.

Wingfield Intrigue

FTCh Wingfield Intrigue “Blue” was a dog Leon rated extremely highly. In his own words; “Blue was the best all-round dog I have owned. Blue was in the same class as Annie and Token on wild game. Like Annie, she was a big dog weighing fifty-two pounds fully fit. Also like her mother, her style was ‘matter of fact’, and lacked the great intensity of the Sharnberrys. She made it look easy.” She was by Wingfield Gunman (Sharnberry Shooter – First Lady) out of Wingfield Annie (Awahuri Rock – First Lady), in other words line bred on the old New Zealand lines. From the same litter came Wingfield Idol Q.C. and Wingfield Intrepid, the latter who bred some good dogs.

Already at 11 months of age Intrigue placed third in the NZ Championship. Three years later she won the same championship (1982) after a spectacular performance. She also placed second in 1981. At the time she was a dominating force in trials, with among others dogs from the Wingfield F and K-litters.

She produced two litters in the kennel. The first with Shooter-son Tad of Colchicus, the second with Sharnberry Quin giving Wingfield Quill. Quill was also a great natural talent, whom Leon used at stud as a young dog on Wingfield Lace, giving him Wingfield Ruff Q.C.